The Rehai Geothermal Field, located in Tengchong County, in central-western Yunnan Prov- ince, is the largest and most intensively studied geothermal field in China. A wide physicochemical diversity of springs （ambie...The Rehai Geothermal Field, located in Tengchong County, in central-western Yunnan Prov- ince, is the largest and most intensively studied geothermal field in China. A wide physicochemical diversity of springs （ambient to -97 ℃; pH from 〈1.8 to≥9.3） provides a multitude of niches for extremophilic microorganisms. A variety of studies have focused on the cultivation, identification, basic physiology, taxonomy, and biotechnological potential of thermophilic microorganisms from Rehai. Ther- mophilic bacteria isolated from Rehai belong to the phyla Firmicutes and Deinococcus-Thermus. Firmicutes include neutrophilic or alkaliphilic Anoxybacillus, Bacillus, Caldalkalibacillus, Caldanaerobacter, Laceyella, and Geobacillus, as well as thermoacidophilic Alicyclobacillus and Sulfobacillus. Isolates from the Deinococcus-Thermus phylum include several Meiothermus and Thermus species. Many of these bacteria synthesize thermostable polymer-degrading enzymes that may be useful for biotech- nology. The thermoacidophilic archaea Acidianus, Metallosphaera, and Sulfolobus have also been isolated and studied. A few studies have reported the isolation of thermophilic viruses belonging to Siphoviridae （TTSP4 and TTSP10） and Fuselloviridae （STSV1） infecting Thermus spp. and Sulfolobus spp., respectively. More recently, cultivation-independent studies using 16S rRNA gene sequences, shotgun metagenomics, or ＂＇functional gene＂ sequences have revealed a mtlch broader diversity of micro- organisms than represented in culture. Studies of the gene and mRNA encoding 113e large subunit of the ammonia monooxygenase （amoA） of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea （AOA） and the tetraether lipid cre- narchaeol, a potential hiomarker for AOA, suggest a wide diversity, but possibly low abundance, of ther- mophilic AOA in Rehai. Finally, we introduce the Tengchong Partnerships in International Research and Education （P1RE） project, an international collaboration between Chinese and U.S. scientists with the goal of promoting international and interdisciplinary cooperation to gain a more holistic and gh〉bal view of life in te^estrial geothermal springs.展开更多
基金supported generously by the U.S.National Science Foundation(Grant Nos.MCB-0546865 and OISE- 0968421 & OISE-0836450)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.31070007)
文摘The Rehai Geothermal Field, located in Tengchong County, in central-western Yunnan Prov- ince, is the largest and most intensively studied geothermal field in China. A wide physicochemical diversity of springs （ambient to -97 ℃; pH from 〈1.8 to≥9.3） provides a multitude of niches for extremophilic microorganisms. A variety of studies have focused on the cultivation, identification, basic physiology, taxonomy, and biotechnological potential of thermophilic microorganisms from Rehai. Ther- mophilic bacteria isolated from Rehai belong to the phyla Firmicutes and Deinococcus-Thermus. Firmicutes include neutrophilic or alkaliphilic Anoxybacillus, Bacillus, Caldalkalibacillus, Caldanaerobacter, Laceyella, and Geobacillus, as well as thermoacidophilic Alicyclobacillus and Sulfobacillus. Isolates from the Deinococcus-Thermus phylum include several Meiothermus and Thermus species. Many of these bacteria synthesize thermostable polymer-degrading enzymes that may be useful for biotech- nology. The thermoacidophilic archaea Acidianus, Metallosphaera, and Sulfolobus have also been isolated and studied. A few studies have reported the isolation of thermophilic viruses belonging to Siphoviridae （TTSP4 and TTSP10） and Fuselloviridae （STSV1） infecting Thermus spp. and Sulfolobus spp., respectively. More recently, cultivation-independent studies using 16S rRNA gene sequences, shotgun metagenomics, or ＂＇functional gene＂ sequences have revealed a mtlch broader diversity of micro- organisms than represented in culture. Studies of the gene and mRNA encoding 113e large subunit of the ammonia monooxygenase （amoA） of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea （AOA） and the tetraether lipid cre- narchaeol, a potential hiomarker for AOA, suggest a wide diversity, but possibly low abundance, of ther- mophilic AOA in Rehai. Finally, we introduce the Tengchong Partnerships in International Research and Education （P1RE） project, an international collaboration between Chinese and U.S. scientists with the goal of promoting international and interdisciplinary cooperation to gain a more holistic and gh〉bal view of life in te^estrial geothermal springs.
